Fluid dispensing system

ABSTRACT

A fluid dispensing system comprising a tank for the fluid, and means for extracting a quantity of fluid from the tank and for directing the extracted fluid to one or more selected receptacles. The means comprises a fluid collecting device including a vessel having a restricted entry aperture, the vessel being for rotary passage through the tank. An outlet pipe is positioned exteriorly of the tank whereby, in use with fluid in the tank, during a rotary cycle of the vessel air exhausts from the vessel through the outlet pipe as fluid ingresses into the vessel through the aperture during a filling operation, and air flows into the vessel through the aperture as fluid is dispensed through the outlet pipe in a dispensing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns fluid dispensing systems which are particularly,but not exclusively, suitable for incorporation in drinks vendingmachines.

The term "fluid" as used herein is intended to include liquids, such aswater, perfume and other low viscosity liquids.

Fluid dispensing systems have been proposed heretofore. U.S. Pat. No.1,327,768 discloses a tank for holding liquid through which a wheelarrangement is adapted to rotate, the arrangement having a hub discmounted on a solid shaft, the disc supporting six conduits inequi-spaced relationship radially of the shaft. At the one end of eachconduit remote from the disc a measuring container is mounted having arestricted entry. The conduits are similarly cranked and pass throughthe disc parallel to the axis of the shaft with fluid collected in thecontainers being sequentially discharged from the respective conduitinto a chamber to be discharged therefrom through a discharge pipe.

FR-A-2 160 243 discloses a pair of tanks for liquid into each of which awheel arrangement including a disc is adapted to rotate, thearrangements being unitary with the two discs connected through a huband rotatable in a central mounting by a solid shaft secured to one ofthe discs. Each arrangement has three containers mounted on therespective disc and is rotated through the respective tank tosequentially collect liquid through two openings (25 and 9) in eachcontainer and discharge liquid collected through respective conduitsinto a single collection tank 16.

Drinks vending machines, whether free-standing or table-top supported,generally operate by dispensing water and powdered ingredients fromseparate sources to a mixing zone. The mixing zone may be separate froma drinks cup in which the drink will be supplied or may be the drinkscup itself. Either way it is important that a pre-selected amount ofwater is discharged to the mixing zone so that the drink produced is ofthe required strength and to avoid water spillage in or from the vendingmachine.

It is further desirable that the fluid dispensing system operaterelatively simply in order to reduce the risk of breakdown.

Typically drinks vending machines and other fluid dispensers usesolenoid valves for controlling flow of fluid but these valves are proneto becoming clogged and so, without warning, stick in one position.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple fluid dispensingsystem suitable for a drinks vending machine and other applications.

According to this invention, there is provided a fluid dispensing systemcomprising a tank for the fluid, and means for extracting a quantity offluid from the tank and for directing the extracted fluid to one or moreselected receptacles, the means comprising a fluid collecting deviceincluding a vessel and an outlet pipe in fluid communication, the vesselbeing for rotary passage through the tank and having a restricted entryaperture wherein the vessel and outlet pipe are connected through arotatable tubular shaft which extends between opposed walls of the tankand is journalled for rotation therein with one of its ends closed offand the other projecting through the respective tank wall, the vesselbeing mounted on the shaft with the outlet pipe being connected to theprojecting end of the shaft exteriorly of the tank to extenddiametrically away from the vessel, rotary passage of the vessel causingrotary passage of the outlet pipe outside of the tank, whereby, in usewith fluid in the tank, during a rotary cycle of the device air exhaustsfrom the vessel through the outlet pipe as fluid ingresses into thevessel through the aperture during a filling operation, and air flowsinto the vessel through the aperture as fluid is dispensed through theoutlet pipe in a dispensing operation.

Preferably, the fluid is raised from a supply thereof in the tank anddischarged by gravity to the one or more selected receptacles.

Preferably also, the vessel is closed and the restricted entry apertureis a circular hole. The amount of fluid which ingresses into the vesselbeneficially depends on the size of the hole and the dwell time duringwhich the vessel is in the fluid in the tank. The volume of fluidretained in the vessel when moving from a filling position to adispensing position desirably depends on the size of hole and the speedof rotation.

The tank is desirably of two part construction comprising an upper partto which a lower fluid-holding part is removably secured. The upper partis beneficially mounted on a support, for example a supporting part of adrinks vending machine.

In a preferred embodiment, the vessel is sectoral in side elevation, andis mounted at its vertex on the rotatable tubular shaft. The wall of theshaft within the vessel is perforate to admit fluid with a single ormultiple openings. Further, the single opening is elongate, preferablyalong its length. The vessel has preferably two sectoral sides spacedapart by radial walls and an arcuate wall in which the opening isprovided. The vessel being rotatable about the axis of the shaftpreferably passes through the fluid from a park position where it isnormally out of the fluid to one or more selected positions of aplurality of dispensing positions to discharge through the outlet pipefluid collected during its rotation between said park and dispensingpositions.

The shaft preferably extends through the upper part of the tank to beclosed on the outside of the rear side thereof and to be connected onthe outside of the front side of the tank to the outlet pipe, preferablyat right angles to the shaft.

The shaft is preferably rotated by a motor, preferably an electricallyoperated motor that is program controlled. A position sensing device,for example a magnetic sensor, may be used to reference the position ofthe shaft during rotation. The shaft may have a toothed wheel thereonwith a toothed belt drive employed to mesh with a toothed output gear ofthe motor to rotate the wheel. The motor may conveniently be mounted onthe outside of a side of the tank.

The fluid dispensing system of the invention preferably has a pluralityof upright elongate chambers for receiving fluid from the outlet. Thechambers are preferably arranged in a manifold of individual chambers.Preferably, the tops of the chambers are arranged radially relative tothe axis of rotation of the shaft. Desirably, the chambers each has anoutlet for transferring any fluid received to a mixing zone where it ismixed with powdered and/or possibly other liquid ingredients to producea mixture, i.e. a desired drink in the case of being incorporated in adrinks vending machine, or other desired mixture in other cases.

The motor is preferably programmed to rotate the vessel from its `park`position through a reference position and a filling position to one ormore discharge positions according to the desired combination ofchambers necessary for producing the selected mixed product.

The outlet pipe may have a volume control, such as by means of arestrictor screw say through a side of the outlet pipe, whereby theamount of air to be displaced in allowing fluid into the outlet may becontrolled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention will now be further described, by way of example only,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a fluid dispensing system for a drinks vendingmachine;

FIG. 2 is a side view in the direction of arrow `A` shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line III--III of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively a front view and a side view of a fluidcollecting device;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D are all schematic diagrams, to a smaller scale,of the dispensing system with parts omitted for clarity and showingrespectively in sequence four positions of the fluid collecting devicei.e. a park position, a reference position, a filling position and adispensing position (other dispensing positions being shown in brokenline); and

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E are schematic diagrams, to the same scale asin FIG. 5, of the system with the front of a tank cut away for clarityto show internally the different positions (correspondingly shown inFIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D) of the fluid collecting device and fluid levelthe tank, FIG. 6D showing the device at the start of a dispensingoperation and FIG. 6E showing the device near the end of a dispensingoperation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a fluid dispensing system for adrinks vending machine for multiple station vending has a fluid tank 10for holding water. The tank 10 is enclosed and is of generallyrectangular section comprising two parts, an upper part 8 to which alower fluid-holding part 9 is removably secured in a watertight fashion.The upper part 8 is mounted by brackets 7 on a supporting part of thedrinks vending machine. The upper part 8 of the tank 10 has a front face12, a rear face 14, sides 16 and 18, and a top 20. The lower part 9 ofthe tank 10 has a front face 12', a rear face 14', sides 16' and 18' anda bottom 22. The open mouth of the lower part 9 defined by the top edgesof the two faces 12', 14' and two sides 16', 18' has an inwardlyextending flange 15. The open mouth of the upper part 8 defined by thebottom edges of the two faces 12, 14 and two sides 16, 18 has anoutwardly extending angular shoulder 17. An O-ring or other suitablegasket 29 is provided between the flange 15 and the shoulder 17 toprovide a watertight seal when the lower part 9 is secured to the upperpart 8 by clips 19, each comprising a hook 19A and a clamping pivotedtoggle with ring 19B. The tank 10 has an inlet 11 integrated into amains water supply. A fluid level sensing device, for example anelectrical probe 13, is electrically connected to a replenishment valvefor controlling water replenishment from the mains water supply throughthe inlet 11 to maintain a desired level of water 21 in the tank 10.

The tank 10 further includes an electrically operated immersion heater23, governed by a thermo-coupling 27, in order to maintain the water 21at a desired temperature for making hot drinks. The inlet 11 ispositioned near to the top of side 16 and a baffle 25 is provideddepending from the top 20 (FIG. 1) to direct the water 21 downwardly.The immersion heater 23 is positioned adjacent to the bottom 22 of thelower part 9 of the tank 10.

A fluid collecting device includes a tubular shaft 24 extending from therear face 14 of the upper part 8 of the tank 10 through its front face12. The shaft 24 is rotatably mounted in a first bearing 26 on the rearface 14 and a second bearing 28 on the front face 12. A cap 34 closesoff the end of the shaft 24 beyond the first bearing 26. Beyond thesecond bearing 28, the shaft 24 is fitted with a cylindrical block 31having a right angle bend conduit 33 exiting radially to which an outletpipe 36 is fitted. The wall of the shaft 24 is perforate having oneopening 39 provided intermediate its ends, and has mounted on it avessel 40. The vessel 40 is sectoral in side elevation and has twosectoral sides, namely a front wall 42 and a rear wall 44 spaced apartby two radial walls 46A and an arcuate wall 46B. The arcuate wall 46Bhas an aperture, in the form of a circular hole 48, about mid-way of itslength. The vessel 40 is mounted with the shaft through a vertex thereofwhere the radial walls 46A meet.

Outside the front face 12 of the tank 10 and mounted on the shaft 24 isa wheel 50 which has teeth 52 around its periphery. For ease ofillustration, the teeth are only shown extending around a minor portionof the periphery. These teeth 52 mesh with a toothed belt 53 alsoarranged around a toothed gear 54 on a shaft of an electrically-operatedmotor 56 fixed on side 16 of the upper part 8 of the tank 10.

Below the wheel and arranged radially is a series of seven chambers 60,each of which has a lower outlet nozzle 62. The chambers 60 formed bysquare tubes 72 arranged side-by-side in a manifold with their topsshaped to form an arc corresponding to the path traced out by the end ofthe pipe 36 during rotation.

A vent 80 is provided in the upper part 8 of the tank 10 through whichair can be drawn in/exhausted.

A position sensing device, for example a magnetic sensor, is providedfor use to reference the position of the outlet pipe during rotation.This is of a two part component arrangement with one part 38A beingmounted on the outlet pipe 36 and the other part 38B being mounted onthe lower part 9 of the tank 10 as shown.

The illustrated fluid dispensing system forms part of a drinks vendingmachine which operates conventionally. The vending machine will usuallybe coin/token/card operated and will discharge both hot water andpowdered material to be mixed either before entry into or in a plasticcardboard or paper cup preferably, but not necessarily, also suppliedautomatically from the machine.

The fluid dispensing system operates in the following manner. The lowerpart 9 of the tank 10 is filled with water up to a predetermined leveland kept at that level by replenishment controlled by the probe 13 tooperate the replenishment valve. The water is heated by the immersionheater 23. The vessel 40, in its park position, is positioned in theupper part 8 of the tank 10 above the level of the water 21 in the lowerpart 9 of the tank 10. When a drink is selected on the machine, themotor 56 which is program controlled drives the wheel 50 so that thevessel 40 passes through the water 21 which enters the vessel 40 viahole 48. When the vessel 40 reaches a filling position as shown in FIGS.5C and 6C, water enters the vessel 40 with the displaced air flowingfreely out through the shaft 24 and outlet pipe 36. While the volume ofthe vessel 40 is determined, the amount of water which enters the vessel40 is governed by the size of the hole 48 and the dwell time of thevessel 40 in its filling position, and the amount which is retained inthe vessel 40 until it is dispensed therefrom in its dispensing positiondepends on the speed of rotation. FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E illustratethe sequence of positions of the collecting device. Depending on thedrink desired, the dispensing of the water may be into one or morechambers 60. For example, in one type of vending machine having separatecontainers for different powdered constituents for drinks in which theconstituents are individually mixed with water prior to entering a cup,if the desired drink was white coffee with sugar, then the amount ofwater in the vessel would require to be discharged proportionately intothree different chambers 60, i.e. those chambers connected up to arespective mixing zone for powered coffee, powdered whitener andpowdered sweetner. When the collecting device reaches its dispensingposition(s), the water begins to escape into the shaft 24 and outthrough outlet pipe 36 into the chamber(s) 60 opposite to which the pipe36 is stopped by the motor 56. The positioning of the hole 48 and thespeed of rotation substantially prevents onset of water discharge sothat discharge of water into a chamber 60 does not take place until thewheel 50 has travelled far enough for the outlet pipe 36 to be oppositethe appropriate chamber(s) 60 to make the selected drink.

Whilst the invention has been specifically described with reference to adrinks vending machine, it may have other applications where meteredfluid dispensing is required, such as in the mixing of perfumes.Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the invention may be producedas a piece of equipment to be fitted to existing machines, especiallydrink vending machines, to replace their fluid dispensing systems.

In a first modification, the opening in the shaft 24 is simply along itslength within the vessel 40. In a second modification (not shown), avolume restrictor screw is fitted to the outlet pipe 36 to control thevolume of displaceable air therein and hence the rate of discharge ofwater through the outlet pipe 36. In a third modification, the outletnozzle 62 of each chamber 60 may be at right angles to the axis of thechamber as shown in broken line in FIGS. 1 to 3 rather than axiallyaligned.

Variations and modifications can be made without departing from thescope of the invention described above and as claimed hereinafter.

I claim:
 1. A fluid dispensing system comprisinga tank for the fluid,and means for extracting a quantity of fluid from the tank and fordirecting the extracted fluid to one or more selected receptacles, themeans comprising a fluid collecting device including a vessel and anoutlet pipe in fluid communication, the vessel being for rotary passagethrough the tank and having a restricted entry aperture wherein thevessel and outlet pipe are connected through a rotatable tubular shaftwhich extends between two opposed walls of the tank and is journalledfor rotation therein with one of its ends closed off and the other endprojecting through the respective tank wall, the vessel being mounted onthe shaft with the outlet pipe being connected to the projecting end ofthe shaft exteriorly of the tank to extend diametrically away from thevessel, with rotary passage of the vessel causing rotary passage of theoutlet pipe outside of the tank, whereby, in use with fluid in tank,during a rotary cycle of the device air exhausts from the vessel throughthe outlet pipe as fluid ingresses into the vessel through the apertureduring a filling operation, and air flows in to the vessel through theaperture as fluid is dispensed through the outlet pipe in a dispensingoperation.
 2. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein aquantity of the fluid is raised from a supply thereof in the tank anddischarged by gravity to the one or more selected receptacles.
 3. Afluid dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the outlet pipehas a volume control whereby the amount of air to be displaced inallowing fluid into the outlet is controlled.
 4. A fluid dispensingsystem according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of upright elongatechambers are provided to receive fluid form the outlet pipe.
 5. A fluiddispensing system according to claim 4, wherein the chambers each havean outlet for transferring any fluid received to a mixing zone where itis mixed with powdered and/or other liquid ingredients to produce amixture.
 6. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 4, wherein thechambers are arranged in a manifold of individual chambers.
 7. A fluiddispensing system according to claim 6, wherein the tops of the chambersare arranged radially relative to the path traced out by the outer endof the outlet pipe during rotation.
 8. A fluid dispensing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the tank is of two part constructioncomprising an upper part to which a lower fluid-holding part isremovably secured.
 9. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 8,wherein the upper part is mounted on a support.
 10. A fluid dispensingsystem according to claim 8, wherein the shaft extends through the upperpart of the tank to be closed on the outside of a rear side thereof andto be connected on the outside of the front side of the tank to theoutlet pipe, at right angles to the shaft.
 11. A fluid dispensing systemaccording to claim 10, wherein a position sensing device is used toreference the position of the outlet pipe during rotation.
 12. A fluiddispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the vessel beingrotatable about the axis of the shaft passes through the fluid from apark position where it is out of the fluid to one or more selectedpositions of a plurality of dispensing positions to discharge throughthe outlet pipe fluid collected during its rotation between said parkand dispensing positions.
 13. A fluid dispensing system according toclaim 12, wherein the shaft is rotated by an electrically operated motorthat is program controlled.
 14. A fluid dispensing system according toclaim 13, wherein the shaft has a toothed wheel thereon with a toothedbelt drive employed to mesh with a toothed output gear of the motor torotate the wheel.
 15. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 13,wherein the motor is mounted on the outside of a side of the tank.
 16. Afluid dispensing system according to claim 13, wherein the motor isprogrammed to rotate the vessel from its park position through areference position and a filling position to one or more dischargepositions according to the desired combination of chambers necessary forproducing the selected mixed product.
 17. A fluid dispensing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the vessel is closed and the restrictedentry aperture is a circular hole.
 18. A fluid dispensing systemaccording to claim 17, wherein the amount of fluid which ingresses intothe vessel depends on the size of the hole and the dwell time duringwhich the vessel is in the fluid in the tank.
 19. A fluid dispensingsystem according to claim 17, wherein the volume of fluid retained inthe vessel when moving from a filling position to a dispensing positiondepends on the size of hole and the speed of rotation.
 20. A fluiddispensing system according to claim 17, wherein the vessel is sectoralin side elevation, and is mounted at its vertex on the rotatable tubularshaft.
 21. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 20, wherein thevessel has two sectoral sides spaced apart by radial walls and anarcuate wall in which the opening is provided.
 22. A fluid dispensingsystem according to claim 20, wherein the wall of the shaft within thevessel is perforate to admit fluid with a single or multiple openings.23. A fluid dispensing system according to claim 22, wherein the singleopening is elongate along its length.